Bed cooler or heater.



G. F. SHEPARD.

BBB COOLER 0B. HEATER. nmoumn FILED nov 16, 1913'.

1,089,277, Patented Mar. 3, 1914 I 2 SKEETSSHEET 2.-

IN VE N TOR fiz'leri EY/ zepard A 0 BY UNITED srarissfarnu'r OFFICE.

GILBERT FERDINAND SHE-)EARD, DODGE CITY, KANSAS.

' BED COOLER OR HEATER.

To all whom/it may concern. Be it known; that LGILBERT F. SHEPARD,

I a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Dodge City, in the county of Ford and State of Kansas, have invented a new and ImprovedBed Cooler or Heater, of which thefollowing is a' full, clear, .and exact description.

My invention relates to bed coolers or heater: and has reference more particularly to a device formed of a pair of similar receptacles having ordinarily the length of an average human body, which can be positioned longitudinally, or otherwise, in a bed, each of said receptacles having means whereby it can be made a cooler or a heater.

Anlobject of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive and convenient bed cooler. or heater which by simple manipulation can be changed from a heater to a cooler or vice versa.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device whereby one part of the body can'be cooled and the other part warmed when a person is-lying in bed.

A still further object of the device is to obtain a more uniform heating or cooling of ,the body in the bed.

v The invention'consists of the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described. hereinafter and fully set forth in the claims.

" :Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which like characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views and in which; I

' Figure 1 is a vertical section through an embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line 22, Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 shows the bed. v

Referring to the drawings, 5 represents a receptacle, preferably cylindrical in shape, one end of. which is provided with a bottom 6. The exterior lateral surface of the cylin drical receptacle is provided with a circular groove 7 adjacent the bottom 6. The opposite end of the receptacle is open and threaded internally and externally, as at 8. A circular flange or. bead!) is provided on the exterior surface of the cylindrical receptacle adjacent the threaded end. The lateral surface of the receptacle 5 adjacent the flange is also provided with a groove 10 similar to position of my device in a Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

' Application filed November 18, 1913. Serial No. 801,680.

11 having a lateral flange 12 at its open end.

Adjacent said flange 12 and the flange E) of the receptacle a gasket 13 is provided to prevent leakage from the receptacle when the same is filled with liquid, as shown in the right-hand receptacle of Fig. 1.

The left-hand receptacle shows the interior threaded end 8 engaged by a plug 14 whiclrcarries a coil 15, the size of which is such as 'to enter easily into the receptacle 5- and which is insulated from the same in any suitable way. Through. this coil an electric current can be passed to heat the same and thereby heat the receptacle. The plug 14 and the coil 15 are used only when a dry heat is necessary in a bed. Otherwise, the receptacles 5 are used as shown on the right side of Fig. 1, that is, they are filled with a hot liquid if it is desiredto heat the bed, and with a cool liquid if it is desired to cool the bed. The receptacle is also provided with a protecting cover 16, preferably of asbestos cloth, which is secured to the outer surface of the receptacle by means of a cord 17 engaged in each of the' grooves 7 and 10 re spectively. The lateral surface of each of the receptacles is preferably provided with clasps 18 in alinement with each other and projecting" through the cover 16. Through these clasps a strap or binding member 19 is passed; and by means of this binding member the two receptacles can be maintained in any desired relative distance from each other when positioned in the bed, as shown in Figs. 2 and. 3. The said straps can be used on the receptacles without the clasps if desired.

When the device is to be used for cooling the bed, the receptacles are used as shown on the right side in Fig. 1 and are filled with a. cold liquid or with broken ice. W'hen it is desired for certain medical purposes to have one side of the bed warm and the other cold, thedevice can be used as shown in Fig. 1. The device is generally placed before the person goes to bed, so as to warm the bed or cool it before it is occupied. If t 'e person desires to keep the device in the bed, the distance between the member 19 binding the two receptacles together is so adjusted that there will be one receptacle on each side of the body. This will be found convenient when it is necessary to cool one side of the body and warm the other, or to heat or cool both sides of the body for a certain period of time.

The purpose of the flange 9 is to protect the cover- 16 on the receptacle from an overfiow when liquid is poured into the receptacle. The cover 16 can be easily removed from the receptacle 5 by removing the cord 17 and any other cover desired may be substituted, as, for example, a cloth cover can be substituted in place of the asbestos one when using thedevice for cooling purposes or for heating purposes when hot liquid is employed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Le ters Patent:

1. In a device of the class described, a pair of receptacles adapted to receive heating or cooling means and each comprising a cylindrical portion having a bottom at one end, the portion being threaded exteriorly and interiorly; a lateral flange on said cylindrical portion adjacent the threaded end, said cylindrical portion having circular grooves on the lateral surface thereof adjacent the flange andthe bottom; means for closing the cylindrical portion engaging said threaded end; a cover for said cylindrical portion; and means for securing said cover to said cylindrical portion by forcing said cover into the said grooves, each of said receptacles having means projecting through the cover; and means engaging each of said means of each of the receptacles whereby.

the relative distance between said receptacles can be varied. I

2. In a device of the class described, a pair of receptacles adapted to be disposed longitudinally in a bed and adapted to receive heating or cooling means, each of said receptacles having a cylindrical portion having a bottom at one end, the opposite end of said portion being open; a lateralflange on the outer surface of said portion adjacent the open end, said cylindrical portion having grooves on the lateral surface adjacent the. flange and the bottom thereof; means for closing the open end of said cylindrical-portion adapted to engage the said flange; an outer cover foreach of said receptacles adapted to engage the cylindrical portion; means for forcing the ends of each of said covers into the circular grooves whereby the said covers are secured to each 'of saidreceptacles; clasps on thelateral opposite end of said cylindricalsurface of each of the receptacles and projecting through the covers; straps engaging said clasps of each of the receptacles and whereby the ceptacles can be varied.

3. In a device of the class described, a pair of receptacles each adaptedto be longitudinally positioned in a bed and adapted to receive heating or cooling means, each of the receptacles comprising a cylindrical portion having a bottom at one end, the opposite end being open and threaded exteriorly and -interiorly, the lateral exterior 'flange adjacent the threaded end of the cylindrical portion and flanged cup adapted to engage the threaded end and close the open end of the cylindrical portion, said flange of said cup adapted to coact with the flange on said cylindrical portion, each of said by lindrical portions having grooves on the lateral surface thereof adjacent the flange andthe bottom; 'a ,cover for each of said cylindrical portions; draw-strings for securing the ends of said cover into the grooves on said cylindrical portion, each of said receptacles having clasps on the lateraLsurface of their cylindrical portions; and means engaging said clasps of each receptacle for varying their relative distance.

4. In a device of the class described, a pair of receptacles adapted to be disposed longitudinally in a bed, each of said receptacles having a cylindrical portion having a bottom at one end, the opposite end'of said portion being open,

having grooves on the lateral surface adsaid cylindrical portiondistance between the said rejacent the flange and the bottom thereof;

means for closing the open end of said cylindrical portion; 'an outer cover for each of said receptacles adapted to engage the cylindrical portions; -means for forcing the end of each of said covers into the circular grooves whereby said covers are secured to each of said receptacles; means for securing said receptacles to each other and whereby the distance between said receptacles can be varied, each of said receptacles being adapted to receive a coil to be heated electrically, and whereby dry heat is generated therein.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GILBERT FERDINAND SHEPARD. 'lVitnesse's V. C. BULLOCK, J on BULLOCK. 

